N’western to play most home games on lakefront
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Northwestern will play most of its home football games during the 2024 and 2025 seasons at a temporary on-campus stadium flanking Lake Michigan, while construction takes place to rebuild Ryan Field.
The temporary stadium will be built on the site where the school’s lacrosse and soccer teams (men’s and women’s) play and will continue to host events for those sports. Northwestern likely will play some home football games at Wrigley Field — where it hosted games in 2010, 2021 and 2023 — and possibly other Chicago-area venues, but most contests will be held on campus.
Wildcats coach David Braun told ESPN that the on-campus facility will “bridge the gap between today and a new Ryan Field,” which is set to open for the 2026 season.
“We’re thrilled to have something that is truly ours,” Braun said. “It’s playing at home, playing on campus. Part of college athletics and the thing that makes it so special is the campus community involvement. It provides the opportunity for an incredible home-field advantage.”
Braun thanked university president Michael Schill, board of trustees chair Peter Barris, athletic director Derrick Gragg and coaches of other impacted teams for supporting the temporary stadium plan, which had been mentioned several years ago but wasn’t considered a strong option until the past few months. Northwestern had discussions with Wrigley Field, Soldier Field and SeatGeek Stadium about hosting games in 2024 and 2025. Constuction to rebuild Ryan Field, a project estimated at around $800 million, began in February.
Northwestern did not announce a specific capacity or other details for the temporary stadium, as the configuration is still be designed, other than to note that it will be “considerably less” than both the original Ryan Field (47,130) and the new version (35,000). Season-ticket holders will have the first priority to secure tickets, and students also will have a reserved section in the facility, as construction will begin this summer. Northwestern often has had sizable contingents of visiting teams’ fans at its home games.
The school is partnering with InProduction, which constructed seating for last year’s NASCAR event in downtown Chicago, as well as temporary seating, staging and structures for college teams at Hawai’i and Florida State.
“A lot of things still need to be worked out, but I have lot of confidence we can troubleshoot,” Braun said. “Credit to other teams that use this space for a willingness to work together to see if this was something that is truly an option. It’s a tight-knit community that supported one another. I’m just really excited.”
The Wildcats have home games this coming season against Miami (Ohio), Duke, Eastern Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Illinois. Braun told ESPN that “select” games will be played on campus and some could still be moved, especially to a venue like Wrigley Field after the Major League Baseball season.
Braun said players were “thrilled” to hear about the on-campus stadium, noting that he had been frequently asked about it in recent weeks as talk of the possibility grew.
“The primary concern for me was what our student-athlete experience was going to be for two years,” he said. “To have a situation where our guys aren’t traveling to different venues each week, traveling long distances on buses after games, instead we’re on campus. As it became apparent that we needed to explore all options, I’m proud that our university leadership made the best decision for our student-athletes.
“Our guys recognize this is an incredible opportunity.”
The New York Rangers are in advanced contract talks to make former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan their next head coach, sources told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weekes on Thursday.
The deal is expected to be one of the richest coaching contracts in NHL history, the sources said.
Sullivan would head to New York in a move that is coming together three days after he left his job with Pittsburgh, where he coached for 10 seasons and won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
The Penguins have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons amid a retooling of the roster.
David Quinn, Sullivan’s top assistant in Pittsburgh, is not expected to join him in New York. Quinn will be a candidate for other head coaching vacancies, including Pittsburgh’s, according to sources.
John Tortorella is a strong possibility to rejoin the Rangers organization. Sullivan, Quinn and Tortorella were on the coaching staff for Team USA at Four Nations.
In New York, Sullivan would replace Peter Laviolette, who was fired after the Rangers didn’t make the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Sullivan was selected by the Rangers in the 1987 draft but never played for New York, choosing to stay in college at Boston University before going on to an 11-year NHL playing career with four teams.
Sullivan, 57, previously served as a Rangers assistant coach from 2009 to 2013 on Tortorella’s staff. He also was the head coach of the Boston Bruins for the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons.
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Ryan S. Clark
Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel said Thursday that star center Mark Scheifele will not travel with team ahead of Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues.
Scheifele will remain in Winnipeg after he missed the second and third periods of his team’s 5-3 victory Wednesday against the Blues in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
“You’re hoping for the best that maybe he wakes up today and things are better,” Arniel told reporters before the team flight to St. Louis. “But right now, he won’t be making the trip, and we’ll just go day-to-day moving forward.”
With 13:51 remaining in the opening period, the Jets were in the Blues’ zone when Scheifele had just played the puck along the half wall. That’s when he was instantly checked by Blues captain Brayden Schenn. Scheifele appeared to be concentrating on the puck and looked as if he did not see Schenn, who connected with the top half of Scheifele’s chest and knocked him down to the ice.
Schenn was given a two-minute minor for interference and another two-minute minor for roughing.
A little more than 10 minutes later, Scheifele was involved in another physical sequence. He was just about to reach the Blues’ zone when forward Radek Faksa also checked him and appeared to have struck Scheifele in the same area as the previous hit from Schenn.
Scheifele finished the first period, but Arniel spoke to the officials as both teams were entering the dressing room before first intermission. Blues coach Jim Montgomery confirmed with reporters after the game that Arniel spoke to the officials about the Schenn hit before sharing his thoughts.
“Let’s make it clear: Fifty-five got hurt from the Faksa hit,” Montgomery said. “He played six minutes after the Schenn hit. He didn’t come back after he got rocked by Faksa.”
Upon hearing Montgomery’s comments, Arniel had some thoughts of his own.
“I didn’t know Monty got his medical degree and can say how our player got hurt. He’s way off base and should not make that comment,” Arniel told reporters. “There’s some things that have been going on in this series and that was a repeat of what we’ve seen before: A player leaving his feet and then hitting a player in a very unprotected spot. Like hitting him in the sense, almost blindsiding him. Not happy with how the call was made. A two-minute minor. Not even looking at it is what I was upset about.
“It is something we have talked to the league about for five games.”
On Thursday, Arniel was asked if Scheifele was in concussion protocol.
“I’m not going down that road,” Arniel said.
It’s possible that the Jets could once again turn to Vladislav Namestnikov like they did in Game 5 and elevate him to the top line. The second-line center would take Scheifele’s place on the first line alongside Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi.
Namestnikov, who had 11 goals and 38 points in 78 regular-season games, had his strongest game of the postseason in Game 5. He finished with a goal and two points while logging 17:15 of ice time.
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